This invention relates to bathing apparatus, and in particular to bathing apparatus for persons who have difficulty in climbing into and/or standing in conventional bath tubs and showers. The invention further relates to the seals for the doors of bathing apparatus.
Conventional bath tubs comprise a base surrounded by an upstanding wall. In order to enter such tubs, the user must climb over the wall. This can present great difficulty or prove impossible to persons with physical infirmities caused by age, disease, injury and the like. In order to bathe in such a tub, the user must drop to a seated position on the base of the tub, which again is difficult or impossible for some persons who are disabled for some reason. Furthermore, many disabled persons are unable to stand erect to take showers in conventional bath tubs or in various types of shower stalls. Since the act of cleaning oneself is considered by most people to be a very private affair, the need of assistance of another person by individuals unable to use existing bath tubs and shower stalls can be a very degrading and embarassing experience by persons who are infirm for one reason or another, as well as causing considerable discomfort to such persons even if they can use existing bathing apparatus by themselves. Moreover, for such persons who for one reason or another must use such bathing apparatus in the presence of others, the lack of privacy can be a very unpleasant experience.
In view of the foregoing shortcomings of conventional bath tubs and shower stalls to infirm persons, various alternate proposals have been made which involve the provision of bath tubs having entrance doors in a vertical wall thereof. Such proposals have been made in U.S. Pat. Nos. 746,389, 746,390, 2,068,457, 2,075,933, 2,456,275, 2,569,825, 2,570,053, 2,714,725, 2,804,629, 2,991,482, 3,066,316, 3,371,354, 3,380,078, 3,416,166, 3,423,769, 3,703,733, 3,719,960 and 3,863,275.
Perhaps the most significant shortcoming of known tubs and stalls for the infirm is the lack of an effective seal for preventing the leakage of water from the unit during use. The seriousness of this problem is reflected in the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,275, where resort was made to a pneumatic construction to alleviate the leakage problem. The inconvenience and complexity of that construction is a major disadvantage of that device.